Pease Air National Guard Base — home to the 157th Air Refueling Wing — will be the first Air National Guard unit to receive the next generation tanker. Pending results of an environmental impact study, Pease is slated to receive 12 aircraft beginning in fiscal year 2018.

“New Hampshire is very proud that the Air Force has selected Pease Air National Guard Base — the home of the 157th Air Refueling Wing — as the top Air National Guard Base to receive the new KC-46A,” Ayotte said while questioning Dr. William LaPlante, Jr., nominated to be assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, if the program is on track.

“We are on track to begin the first flight of the KC-46A later this year and so all indications are the program is going well,” he said, and also confirmed a critical design review has been completed ahead of schedule and that the training simulator came in about $250 million under an independent cost estimate.

“That’s music to my ears,” Ayotte said.

In May, Ayotte and fellow delegation members announced the Air Force had selected Pease as the top Air National Guard base to receive the new tanker. Ayotte had worked with delegation members for more than a year to advocate for Pease to receive the tanker.